Elmore James | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | "King of the Slide Guitar" |
| Born | Elmore Brooks (1918-01-27)January 27, 1918 |
| Died | May 24, 1963(1963-05-24) (aged 45) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Blues |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1940s–1963 |
Elmore James (néBrooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963)[1] was an Americanblues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader.[2] Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.[3] Hisslide guitar technique earned him the nickname "King of the Slide Guitar".
Elmore James was born Elmore Brooks inRichland, Holmes County, Mississippi, the son of 15-year-old Leola Brooks, a field hand.[4] His father was probably Joe Willie "Frost" James, who moved in with Leola, and Elmore took his surname. He began making music at the age of 12, using a simple one-string instrument (diddley bow, or jitterbug) strung on a shack wall.[1] As a teen he performed at dances under the names "Cleanhead" and "Joe Willie James".[4]
James was influenced byRobert Johnson,[1]Kokomo Arnold andTampa Red. He recorded several of Tampa Red's songs. He also inherited from Tampa Red's band two musicians who joined his own backing band, the Broomdusters,"Little" Johnny Jones (piano) andOdie Payne (drums). In the late 1930s, James worked alongsideSonny Boy Williamson II.[4]
DuringWorld War II, James joined the U.S. Navy, was promoted tocoxswain and took part in the invasion ofGuam. Upon his discharge, he returned to central Mississippi and settled in the town ofCanton with his adopted brother, Robert Holston. He began recording withTrumpet Records in nearby Jackson in January 1951, first as a sideman again for Sonny Boy Williamson II and for their mutual friendWillie Love and possibly others.[1] He made his debut as a session leader in August that year recording a Robert Johnson composition, "Dust My Broom", which was a surprise R&B hit in 1952.[2] His backing musicians became known as the Broomdusters.[2]
James broke his contract with Trumpet Records to sign with theBihari brothers[1] through their scoutIke Turner, who played guitar and piano on a couple of his early Bihari recordings. His "I Believe" was a hit a year later.[2] During the 1950s he recorded for the Bihari brothers'Flair Records,Meteor Records, andModern Records; he also recorded forChess Records andMel London'sChief Records.[5] He played lead guitar onBig Joe Turner's 1954 top 10 R&B hit "TV Mama".[6]
In 1959, he began recording forBobby Robinson'sFire Records, which released "The Sky Is Crying", "My Bleeding Heart", "Stranger Blues", "Look on Yonder Wall", "Done Somebody Wrong", and "Shake Your Moneymaker", among others.[2]
James died of aheart attack at the home of his cousin and fellow musician,Homesick James,[7] in Chicago in 1963, at the age of 45,[2] as he was about to tour Europe with that year'sAmerican Folk Blues Festival. He was buried in the Newport Baptist Church Cemetery, inEbenezer, Mississippi.[8]Phil Walden ofCapricorn Records raised funds for a granite headstone for James's grave. The headstone which reads "King of the Slide Guitar", features a bronzerelief of James playing guitar. It was revealed at a dedication ceremony sponsored by theMt. Zion Memorial Fund in 1992.[9]
James was posthumously inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as an "Early Influence" inductee.[3] He had been inducted in theBlues Hall of Fame within its initial list of inductions in 1980.[10] In 2012, he was honored with a marker on theMississippi Blues Trail in Ebenezer.[8][9]
James influenced many slide players, such as blues guitaristsHomesick James,Hound Dog Taylor, andJ. B. Hutto.[4] His single string playing also influencedB.B. King andChuck Berry.[4] Rock guitaristsJimi Hendrix,Duane Allman,Jerry Garcia,Brian Jones,Jeremy Spencer, andFrank Zappa as well as Swedish popBenny Andersson andJanne Schaffer have acknowledged his influence.[11][12] In theBeatles' song "For You Blue",John Lennon plays a slide solo on aHöfnerlap steel guitar;[13]George Harrison encourages him with "Go, Johnny, go ... Elmore James got nothin' on this, baby".[14]
